He's got a HUGE...talent.

picking up where i left off last night... but first let me recap quickly. Many people don't see animation as an art form and we looked at how animation actually IS an art. In this post i want to look at a few movies and directors that would fall into the category of  either movie art or animation or both.

we already know what animation is so  lets take a look at what an " art movie " is .An art movie is usually made for a specific group of individuals rather than a mass audience typically found in Hollywood. elements that would be used in such a film vary from  "a social realism style; an emphasis on the authorial expressivity of the director; and/or a  focus on the thoughts and dreams of characters, rather than presenting a clear, goal-driven story.To understand most art films a certain amount of intellect is needed.The directors of such films will rather entice the audience with a mental stimulation and so often these films are not just for pure entertainment purposes but also to get a person thinking about a certain topic ( much like other art and artists do ). These films tend not to be released into the  mainstream film industry but there have been cases where an art film does incredibly well in the film industry. One such film director ( or artist if you wish ) is Tim Burton.

Tim Burton has made a success out of movie art. Because honestly one cannot but call his films art.He has made countless films in all his years of directing and producing.One of his films ( Alice in Wonderland ) is the Sixth highest grossing film of all time.Perhaps what makes Burton so successful is the loyalty of Johnny Depp ,Danny Elfman and last but certainly not the least  his partner Helen Bonham Carter.This foursome is always working together to create another master piece. And with Johnny Depp as one of the characters it is most certainly a masterpiece.

One of my favourite Tim Burton movies is Sweeney Todd.If not for Burton's theatrical take on this movie i would not even have dared watch it. Im not generally a fan of  "dark" films but i was pleasantly surprised with the nail sharp dark humour and the clever play with colour ( or lack of colour )Even the blood is of such a colour that the mind knows it cannot be real.Burton doesn't try and deceive the viewer by trying to create something to be super realistic, instead he plays around with artistic license.Burton thinks about every aspect of the film he is directing or producing.From the costumes and dialect to when Johnny Depp needs to smile that wickedly gorgeous smile of his .

Another director/producer that uses his artistic license is Baz Luhrmann.He has been involved in movies such as Strictly Ballroom , Moulin Rouge and more recently  the ever popular Australia.While Burton is more Gothic in his style Luhrmann is overly colourful and loud .Although his film Australia wasn't really colourful or loud it still held his signature in the style of acting and cinematography.As with Burton, Luhrmann prefers to use fellow Australian actress Nicole Kidman.


If you ever come across one of Burton or Luhrmann's movies, do yourselves a favour and watch it, don't take it too seriously and try find the artistic license used. For that matter, the next time you watch any kind of movie... look out for the art. You're bound to find it if you're willing to look.

cheers for now
Simone

kung fu fighting

After fighting to have our electricity back i can finally write to you lovely people.Now tonight i want to discuss a form of art that many dont realise actually classifies as art. This art form has also become so expensive that it seems rather ridiculous on the one hand, but when you take a look at what this art form entails its not too far fetched.

If you've tried guessing by now what art form im talking about , it isnt Kung Fu. Let me explain: A friend and i wanted to do something out of the ordinary last weekend.We decided to go to the movies and watch Kung Fu Panda 2.Turns out that to watch this movie would cost us R110. Call me crazy but thats just a little too much for a movie. This got me thinking though...

Animation is often if not always over looked and seen as just another movie.Not many people know the kind of  thought and talent that go into making just one of these movies.It can sometimes take up to two years to finish a film.Thats almost as long as a renaissance painter would have taken to finish a painting.

Webopedia's definition of animation is "A simulation of movement created by displaying a series of pictures, or frames." basically  it means that animation is a series of still pictures (that are slightly different from each other) put together to create a movement.

Like i mentioned earlier, this can take a long time to perfect and finish.As with everything it has evolved and is primarily done on the computer  (digitally) .First a concept is "born" and the story is outlined.Next   the a story board is drawn up- Planning  and roughly drawing everything .  Thirdly they will do all the voice recording .This is usually done before the animation process begins.This helps the animators time all the actions.. the time it takes for the character to open a door before speaking etc.

That is the very basic process involved in making/designing animation.There is still so much to the making of animation that i wont bore you with tonight.My next post i will be taking a closer look at some great animations and the people behind them.


cheers for now ( very loudly singing Kung Fu Fighting.... )
simone

Bringing light to dark

Today i was speaking with my friend Margaret.We were talking about the blog and my statement about sunglasses and how true she found that statement to be.We got onto the topic of performing arts.Not the kind you see at the theatre , although there are sometimes tutu's involved..Performance art has been around for years.From as early as the 80's.

We were specifically talking about Steven Cohen.He is a South African performance artist who, some might say, is mad.His idea's are completely out of the box. and sometimes.... no, almost always very strange.There is one performance that stands out more than any other.In 2001 Cohen very proudly walked into an informal settlement wearing a tutu chandelier.( seen in the picture ).His aim? To bring light ( literally and figuratively ) to the oppressed .More specifically to bring light to their darkened circumstances .I rather liked his performance and i think its quirky and hits the nail on the head.Yes its very out there, but it served its purpose well.

Another similar South African artist who can  be just as strange is Jane Alexander.She wouldn't traditionally fall under performance art but rather Installation art and will also be rather daring with her pieces.She also show cases pieces regarding oppression,aggression  and violence.

On the other side of the world in 2007 another kind of light was " given"  to a German World War 2 Bunker.Ten Artists decided to redecorate the old bunker and give it a second life and in the process they turned it into a modern art exposition space.

This brings me to my point , to me art should be there to bring light to the dark... happiness when you feeling down.It should be there to express yourself openly.People are constantly finding ways to express themselves through art, for me this should be taken one step further... it should be a way to express yourself by giving someone " light" Even if that light is only pointing out the problem so that a solution can be found.

On a much lighter note ( excuse the pun ) ... a drawing from Michelangelo will be  auctioned off on July 5 in London.The small piece of paper is believed to bring in as much as 5 million pounds. The drawing is from a series of drawings he did for a fresco (The Battle of Cascina) to be done on a wall opposite a paintings of leonardo da Vinci.Its one of 24 privately owned preparatory study drawings for this fresco. 


That's it from me again.Go out there and shine your light.

cheers for now
Simone

Welcome to the game called life.

 well let me be the first to welcome you to this blog.Firstly let me explain the name... My absolutely most favourite painter of all time is Renoir ( hence the REN in RenArts ) .I love his emotional brush work and his fascination with light.more than anything.I probably like his work a lot  because i paint in a similar style.

My love for art and all things artistic started from a young age, doing crafts and drawing pictures of stick figures and getting glitter all over the floor.I know i know.. many critics believe "craft" isn't art.I was once told by one of my lectures that art , like beauty is in the eye of the beholder i agree with that but to a certain degree, but more on all that later. Art stuck with me through out my life.Always there when things were good and when they were bad.I hope to share art with you ..and bring it  in a new light..

I believe we all go through life with sunglasses on.Some of us have very dark sunglasses on, and tend to only see things in a negative light ( dark light ).Others have Multicolor sunglasses on, and they tend to look at things with a positive light.

Either way i will be discussing art and all that goes with it.I wont conform to any cetain group or their opinion.I dont say or do things in a traditional or convential way.That being said i will try say everything with respect to  fellow "artists"

Thats it for now, i have some more reading to do.Any comments are welcome, i"m new to this so tips are even MORE welcome.

cheers for now.
Simone